Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sees Large Volume Increase - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ: SMBC) experienced a significant drop in trading volume on Monday, with approximately 42,399 shares traded, down from 55,086 shares the previous session.
• Analysts show confidence in the stock, with Stephens reiterating an "overweight" rating and a price target of $65.00, while Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target from $60.00 to $63.00.
• The company recently declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, up from $0.23, with an annualized yield of 1.9% for investors of record on August 15th.

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 42,399 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 23% from the previous session's volume of 55,086 shares.The stock last traded at $52.86 and had previously closed at $54.09.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SMBC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $594.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.11 and a beta of 1.03. The firm's 50 day moving average is $54.57 and its 200-day moving average is $54.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.16. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.35% and a net margin of 19.17%. The firm had revenue of $47.61 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.60 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This is a boost from Southern Missouri Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Southern Missouri Bancorp's payout ratio is 19.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William E. Young sold 10,000 shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.30, for a total value of $563,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 94,987 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,347,768.10. The trade was a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 16.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Southern Missouri Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 1st quarter valued at $94,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at $138,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 147.5% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,542 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 2,111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $220,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.49% of the company's stock.

About Southern Missouri Bancorp

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Southern Bank that provides banking and financial services to individuals and corporate customers in the United States. The company offers deposits products, including interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing transaction accounts, saving accounts, certificates of deposit, retirement savings plans, and money market deposit accounts.